Hell to pay: the rise of ransom attacks and what to do about them

Such attacks are ransoming businesses and taking them offline. Róisín Kiberd asked the experts how to survive them

RDDoS attacks are nothing new. What has changed is the increased organisation of the hackers and the targeting of a wider range of sectors. Picture: Getty Images/Science Photo Library

There’s a scene in Ubik, the science fiction novel by Philip K Dick, which comes to mind every time botnets appear in the news. The debt-ridden protagonist, Joe Chip, tries to go out the door of his apartment. The door, however, has other ideas; equipped with AI and a smug, robotic voice, it demands payment of five cents and refuses to open.

Things escalate. The door cites a clause in the tenancy contract. Chip dismantles ...